Holderman signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports. Despite missing several weeks in August with a wrist injury, 2024 marked the best season of Holderman's three-year career. He finished the year with a 3.16 ERA and 1.31 WHIP alongside a 56:25 K:BB over 51.1 innings and is likely to reprise his role as a setup man in 2025.
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Holderman signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports. Despite missing several weeks in August with a wrist injury, 2024 marked the best season of Holderman's three-year career. He finished the year with a 3.16 ERA and 1.31 WHIP alongside a 56:25 K:BB over 51.1 innings and is likely to reprise his role as a setup man in 2025.
The Pirates and Bednar avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.9 million contract Thursday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Bednar had a rough 2024 campaign, losing his closer job while collecting a 5.77 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 58:28 K:BB across 57.2 innings of work. He could get another shot in the ninth inning in 2025 but won't be handed the job.
Bart and the Pirates avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft was unable to establish himself as the Giants' long-term answer at catcher over parts of four seasons in the big leagues, but the 28-year-old benefited from a change of scenery after he was shipped to Pittsburgh in April. He ended the 2024 campaign as the Pirates' top catcher, having slashed .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs across 282 plate appearances. The Pirates have 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis and 24-year-old Endy Rodriguez on hand as intriguing young options at catcher, but based on his performance last season, Bart will enter spring training as the favorite to open the 2025 campaign as the Bucs' top backstop.
Ferguson agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports. Ferguson put up a disappointing 4.64 ERA over 62 appearances in 2024 between the Yankees and Astros but did record 67 strikeouts across 54.1 innings out of the bullpen. He could end up being the left-handed setup man in Pittsburgh, though Stumpf relays that the Pirates intend to let Ferguson get stretched out over the winter before potentially placing him on a starter's schedule in spring training.
Falter and the Pirates avoided arbitration by agreeing Thursday to a one-year, $2.22 million contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Falter was arbitration-eligible for the first time, coming off a 2024 campaign in which he covered a career-high 142.1 innings over 28 starts for the Pirates. The southpaw was decent enough as a back-end rotation arm with a 4.43 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, but a career-worst 16.5 percent strikeout rate doesn't inspire much confidence in his ability to take any sort of major step forward. Even though he should be in good shape to retain a rotation spot heading into 2025, Falter's fantasy utility will likely be limited to deeper mixed leagues or NL-only leagues.
The Pirates signed Hall to a minor-league contract on Dec. 21, MiLB Central reports. Hall spent the entirety of the 2024 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization, hitting .236/.320/.387 with 16 homers in 114 games. The Pirates don't have much first base depth, so while Hall is likely to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A Indianapolis, it's possible he'll eventually get another shot at the major-league level.
The Pirates signed McCutchen to a one-year, $5 million contract Monday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. It's the same contract terms that McCutchen inked last offseason. The 38-year-old collected a .739 OPS with 20 home runs in 2024 as the Pirates' full-time designated hitter. He should have the same role for Pittsburgh in 2025.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on Dec. 10 in an interview on MLB Network that Bart will enter 2025 as the favorite to start at catcher, The Bucco Beat reports. The Pirates acquired Bart shortly after Opening Day and he eventually emerged as the team's primary catcher, slashing .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs over 280 plate appearances. Endy Rodriguez will be back from elbow surgery and Henry Davis is still around, so Bart will have competition for playing time behind the plate, but he'll enter the season with a leg up for the starting job.
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